Those Murmuring Israelites... Are We Any Better?

Exodus 15:1, 2, 22-24
1 Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the Lord, and spake, saying, I will sing unto the Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.
2 The Lord is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father's God, and I will exalt him.
…
22 So Moses brought Israel from the Red sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness, and found no water.
23 And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter: therefore the name of it was called Marah.
24 And the people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink?

       Here is the multitude, fresh out of their bondage in Egypt, all singing a song to God, praising him in their gratefulness, but then, three days into the trip, at the first real sign of trouble, they begin murmuring.

       Now certainly, being thirsty is not a sin; neither is being unhappy that your hopes are dashed in some way.  The problem here is how they handled their need and disappointment.  They didn't unite in prayer. They didn't simply seek the guidance of the man of God who was leading them.  They murmured.  By definition, this means they "grumbled and complained."

        No, the Bible doesn't say they “murmured against God.”  It says they “murmured against Moses.” However, Moses is God's man.  He is God's choice of a leader.  They were indirectly grumbling and complaining against God.  No matter who they were murmuring against, they were handing the situation in the wrong way.

As Christians, living in the midst of a wicked world, we often fall into the same sin. 

Let's consider the instruction found in Paul's epistle to the Philippian church:

Philippians 2:14,15

14 Do all things without murmurings and disputings:

15 That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;

       The Israelites were chronic complainers, and often we are too.  Seeing as that is a sin, let's examine the causes and seek the solution.  I think you'll recognize some startling similarities.

I. The Israelites complained because they forgot how bad they had it before....

Exodus 16:3 And the children of Israel said unto them, Would to God we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots, and when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger.

       They apparently forgot the taskmasters whipping their flesh when they weren't building the Egyptian monuments as fast as the Egyptians wanted, or the wicked Pharoah who ordered the midwives to kill all their baby boys, or the religious persecution they faced because they were slaves who worshipped the one true God in the midst of a society that worshipped false gods in the form of idols.  They temporarily forgot that they had NO REAL FREEDOM AT ALL.

We grumble about the Christian life, when we forget how bad “the good old days” were.  

This might have been when we were lost, or even maybe after we were saved but then drifted, not really living for Jesus.

       People glorify their past, and say, “I remember when we'd all go out to the bar and have a drink and we didn't have a care in the world.”  But they forget that night with their head in the toilet and somebody else holding their hair.  They forget the regrets they had the next morning when they couldn't remember exactly what they said or did, or how they got home.  They don't think about the fact that had they not accepted Christ, and died on one of those “fun nights” they would have died and gone to Hell, not to mention doing nothing to stop the same from happening to all their friends and loved ones.

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SIDE NOTE:

Part of their problem was that they were listening to the Egyptian hangers-on (listened to bad influences).

Numbers 11:4-6
4 And the mixt multitude that was among them fell a lusting: and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat?
5 We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlick:
6 But now our soul is dried away: there is nothing at all, beside this manna, before our eyes.

       Remember, some Egyptians went with them when everything was going south in Egypt and God was blessing the children of Israel.  We find ourselves surrounded in this world by lost individuals.  It's a great mission field.  However, our closest friends, allies, advisors, should be fellow Christians; not to isolate ourselves, but to insulate ourselves. We still want contact with the world.  We still want to reach them with the gospel, but if we're not careful, we'll allow lost people to have such influence in our lives (and of course they're going to paint their lives as better, more free, etc.) that we might be sold on their sales pitch. Next thing you know, you're out of the will of God and wondering what happened!  Don't be fooled by those still lost; a life far from God is not one you want to live.

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II. The Israelites complained because they lost sight of the promise of God.

Numbers 14:3,4
3 And wherefore hath the Lord brought us unto this land, to fall by the sword, that our wives and our children should be a prey? were it not better for us to return into Egypt?
4 And they said one to another, Let us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt.

But these people had a promise from God!  They weren't leaving for the unknown.  They were leaving for a specific destination....

Exodus 3:15-17 (when God is sending his message by Moses to His people)
15 And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The Lord God of your athers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.
16 Go, and gather the elders of Israel together, and say unto them, The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared unto me, saying, I have surely visited you, and seen that which is done to you in Egypt:
17 And I have said, I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt unto the land of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, unto a land flowing with milk and honey.

When we begin to get weary, frustrated, whiny, it's often for the very same reason.  We forget we have promises from God.  Peter made mention of these promises:

2 Peter 1:2-4
2 Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,
3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

We get weary, and begin to grumble and complain when we forget His promises to us...

“But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19)

“My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9) 

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28)

“All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.” (John 6:37)

“And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” (Galatians 6:9)

God promised the Israelites there was a land of milk and honey just down the road.

God has promised us :

a. He SHALL supply all our need.
b. His grace IS sufficient.
c. All things DO work together for good when we love and serve Him.
d. He WILL never cast us out once we're saved.
e. We SHALL reap if we faint not in well doing.

That's not even mentioning our own eternal “promised land” that awaits us at the end of our travels!

III. The Israelites complained because they failed to see what God was doing for them right then and there.

Let's, re-read Numbers 11:6 

 “But now our soul is dried away: there is nothing at all, beside this manna, before our eyes.”

       To paraphrase, they basically said, "There's nothing for us to eat EXCEPT THIS MIRACLE that God performed for us."  And don't forget, God had already miraculously provided fresh water to drink.

And what about the quails? “And it came to pass, that at even the quails came up, and covered the camp: and in the morning the dew lay round about the host.” (Exodus 16:13)

And what about their clothes? “And I have led you forty years in the wilderness: your clothes are not waxen old upon you, and thy shoe is not waxen old upon thy foot.” (Deuteronomy 29:5)

       Here they are in the middle of the wilderness. There was no place to buy anything. There was no Sinai Super-Walmart. God miraculously provided for them day after day. He did not allow them to starve, or even to be without clothing, or even to have tattered clothing. And yet all they could see is what they did not have.

When we complain, it is because we fail to see what God is doing for us right this very minute.

“Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah.” (Psalm 68:19)

       Do you know that one of the most encouraging passages of scripture comes from the book of Lamentations?  Lamentation means “mourning.”   It's a book written by the prophet Jeremiah lamenting the destruction of Jerusalem, the judgement of God on his people for their disobedience and rebellion.  And yet, in the midst of this mourning, when all seems lost, we read....

Lamentations 3:21-25
21 This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope.
22 It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.
23 They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
24 The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.
25 The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.

Christian friend, whatever you're going through, IT IS GOOD TO BE SAVED. 

       I don't care what happens to me today, I sure am glad I'm God's child.  I don't know what tomorrow holds, but I know I'll go into it with God holding my hand.  I may not have all the riches of this world, I may not be the most handsome, most fit, have the nicest home, the nicest car, the world may not envy me.... but I'm on God's mind right now.  He's given his angels charge over me, and over my family.   There is literally NOTHING that Satan can do to me without God's permission...NOTHING.  The lost person can't say that today.

The only way we can murmur is to overlook the same facts the Israelites forgot: 

1.  Our past was so much worse. 

2.  Our future is full of promise. 

3.  Our present is incredibly blessed!

Psalm 84:9-12
9 Behold, O God our shield, and look upon the face of thine anointed.
10 For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.
11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.
12 O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee.

To grumble and complain is to take for granted the blessings of God. Let's not do that.

Are you a murmurer? When you come up against disappointment or an unfulfilled need, do you first stop and complain? Or do you stop and pray?

Philippians 2:14,15
14 Do all things without murmurings and disputings:
15 That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;